Deck 5: Social Class and Inequality in the United States

Question 1

Which type of society is most likely to feature social mobility?

A)communist societies
B)caste societies
C)class societies
D)poor societies

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT necessarily associated with a higher degree of status or prestige in the minds of the public?

A)family background
B)contribution to public welfare
C)occupation
D)income

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following best represents an occupation with high prestige or status but lower income?

A)firefighter
B)doctor
C)lawyer
D)congressperson

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an ascribed status?

A)race
B)sex
C)caste
D)educational level

Question 5

Which of the following would be considered a blue-collar job?

A)auto mechanic
B)receptionist
C)investment banker
D)salesperson

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a class society?

A)Social level is determined largely by economic status.
B)Social mobility is encouraged.
C)Social level is based on ascribed,rather than achieved,characteristics.
D)Social level is influenced by parent's social level.

Question 7

Which shape do sociologists like Gilbert and Kahl believe the class stratification of modern capitalist societies most closely resembles?

A)rectangle
B)diamond
C)teardrop
D)pyramid

Question 8

The ability to exercise influence on political institutions and/or actors to realize personal or group interests is referred to as ______.

A)political voice
B)political power
C)mobilization of resources
D)political authority

Question 9

Which of the following does NOT reflect the sociological definition of occupation?

A)the prestige associated with a given position
B)a person's main vocation
C)the average household's main source of income
D)paid employment

Question 10

Which of the following would NOT be considered a white-collar occupation?

A)a fry cook at a fast-food chain
B)a researcher at a think tank
C)a civil rights attorney
D)a professor

Question 11

Which of the following is the best sociological definition of income?

A)an individual's yearly salary
B)wages,tips,and other compensation
C)the amount of money a person or household earns in a given period of time
D)the value of everything a person owns,minus the value of everything he or she owes

Question 12

Which of the following would be considered net financial assets?

A)homes
B)investments
C)cars
D)cash

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a caste society?

A)Social levels are closed.
B)Social level is determined at birth by characteristics that largely cannot be changed.
C)Social mobility is very rare.
D)Caste society is based on achieved,rather than ascribed,characteristics.

Question 14

Which of the following would NOT be considered in measuring one's wealth?

A)student loan debt
B)car ownership
C)status
D)home equity

Question 15

The systematic ranking of different groups of people in a hierarchy of inequality is referred to as ______.

A)social stratification
B)social inequality
C)class differences
D)class status

Question 16

Which of the following is most important for getting ahead in the system of stratification?

A)wealth
B)income
C)status
D)occupation

Question 17

Which of the following does NOT represent stratification in the United States?

A)Before the abolition of slavery,the United States was a racial caste system because unless a slave escaped or was freed by his or her owner,it was usually a permanent condition.
B)Class stratification resembles a teardrop,with a large number of people in the middle ranks,a slightly smaller number of people at the bottom,and very few people at the top.
C)It is relatively easy to move upward from working class to upper class,as long as you earn an education and work hard.
D)Many middle-class Americans have experienced downward mobility in recent decades.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT considered income?

A)disability checks
B)TANF or other public-assistance benefits
C)tips
D)home equity

Question 19

A disparity in income,wealth,power,prestige,or another resource is referred to as ______.

A)social stratification
B)social inequality
C)class differences
D)class status

Question 20

According to the U.S.Census,the top 20% of income earners take in about ______% of the total income.

A)5
B)15
C)25
D)50

Question 21

Data show that those with greater income and education are less likely than their less well-off peers to have and die of heart disease,diabetes,and many types of cancer.

Question 22

Income gains in the United States have been disproportionately concentrated among top earners.

Question 23

Most poor people just don't want to work.If they just took the jobs that were available to them,their wages would lift them above the poverty line to meet their basic needs.

Question 24

Which of the following is characteristic of the official U.S.poverty line?

A)It is equal to the amount of money earned by minimum-wage workers.
B)It is based on a 1960s estimate that the average family spends about one third of its income on food.
C)Adjustments are made for varying costs of living.
D)It includes noncash benefits,such as food stamps and public-housing vouchers.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT an accurate representation of the relationship between health outcomes and class?

A)Poor people may be less physically active because they have less access safe or well-equipped facilities in which to play and exercise.
B)Grocery stores are available in almost all neighborhoods;middle-class people are just more educated about which food choices are the healthiest.
C)Less affluent people are more likely to die from cancer because they may lack access to health insurance or clinics that offer health screenings.
D)Hospitalization rates for asthma for African American children are 4 to 5 times higher than the rate for White children.

Question 26

Herbert Gans argued that the "functions" served by the poor have ______;that is,they could be fulfilled by other means than poverty.

A)functional alternatives
B)meritocracy
C)manifest tendencies
D)class bias

Question 27

Which of the following is characteristic of service sector occupations?

A)They have increasingly replaced manufacturing jobs as the primary employment for those with less education.
B)They are more likely to offer benefits such as medical or dental insurance.
C)They typically offer a "living wage" rather than just a minimum wage.
D)They offer a solid road to the middle class.

Question 28

Which of the following is characteristic of food deserts?

A)fresh fruit,vegetables,and meat
B)lower prices for food
C)residents may need to travel great distances if they want to shop at high-quality grocery stores
D)more neighborhood food options to choose from

Question 29

A 2014 study by Saez and Zucman found that in about ______% of U.S.households,debts are roughly equal to assets,meaning the family has zero wealth.

A)10
B)15
C)25
D)50

Question 30

The standards by which the official U.S.poverty line is determined each year are carefully examined to reflect actual expenditures and income requirements of the average American.

Question 31

Although well intentioned,Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty was largely unsuccessful and had little effect on the national poverty rate.

Question 32

Which of the following would NOT be considered "benefits" to the nonpoor of having a class of poor people?

A)low-wage workers available to do society's "dirty work"
B)jobs for lower-class people who help the poor
C)a market for products that would go unused,such as used cars or old food
D)to serve as a scapegoat for society's problems

Question 33

In the postindustrial economy of today,the United States manufactures more of the goods it consumes.

Question 34

Today,there are nearly 2 million fewer jobs in the mid- and higher-wage industries than there were before the recession.

Question 35

Which of the following groups has the highest level of the poverty?

A)female-headed households with no husband present
B)Blacks
C)Latinos
D)married couples

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT an explanation for the growth of inequality?

A)Labor demands have changed,and workers with more education are more highly valued,whereas those with little education are becoming less valued.
B)The service sector jobs that have replaced manufacturing jobs have lower pay scales and fewer benefits.
C)More women are working,which means there are fewer jobs for men that pay "breadwinner" salaries.
D)Many minimum-wage workers earn below the official poverty line.

Question 37

Which idea suggests that society benefits from stratification because the most important positions are occupied by the most qualified individuals?

A)life chances
B)conflict theory
C)meritocracy
D)functional alternatives

Question 38

Karl Marx argued that the relationship between workers and capitalists was interdependent;that is,they relied on each other to survive in a capitalist system.

Question 39

Which of the following best explains the decline in health insurance coverage for workers in the bottom quintile of earners from the 1980s to the 1990s?

A)the increase in the population of children under age 18
B)the growth of service sector jobs that have been increasingly unlikely to offer employer benefits
C)lack of access to healthy food
D)higher rates of heart disease,diabetes,and many types of cancer

Question 40

According to Karl Marx,the ______ own(s)the means of production,which they use to exploit the labor of the workers.

A)proletariat
B)bourgeoisie
C)proprietors
D)nouveau riche

Question 41

The official poverty threshold for a family of four in 2013 was about ______.

Question 42

According to Herbert Gans,poverty can only be eliminated when it becomes dysfunctional for the affluent and powerful,rather than just dysfunctional for the poor.

Question 43

______ status refers to a social position linked to one's acquisition of socially valued credentials or skills,whereas ascribed status refers to a social position linked to characteristics that are socially significant but cannot be altered.

Question 44

According to most measures,income inequality has steadily decreased since the 1970s.

Question 45

About ______% of Americans live below the official U.S.poverty line.

Question 46

Social inequality and stratification is sociologically only understood in quantitative terms,such as income and wealth.

Question 47

As many families moved to the suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s,jobs eventually followed,contributing to ______ mismatch between jobs in the suburbs and potential workers in urban areas.

Question 48

Class position at birth influences one's ______ chances-the opportunities and obstacles the person will encounter in education,social life,and work that affect social mobility.

Question 49

Explain the difference between social inequality and social stratification and why this difference is important.

Question 50

Theories influenced by Marx's ideas have fallen out of popularity,as there are no longer struggles between workers and owners.

Question 51

While they may not be highly paid professionals,the occupations of firefighter and nurse have very great ______.

Question 52

Caste societies are considered ______,whereas class societies are considered open.

Question 53

Explain the difference between income inequality and social inequality.

Question 54

In 2013,median net worth of White households was nearly $142,000 while Black household net worth was $11,000,and Hispanic household wealth was nearly $14,000.

Question 55

Class stratification in modern capitalist societies resembles a pyramid,with a large number of underclass people at the bottom and successively smaller numbers in the upper tiers of more economically advantaged members.

Question 56

The legally enforced separation of Blacks and Whites in the United States after the end of slavery could be considered a caste society.

Question 57

In the United States,there are few barriers to upward social mobility.As long as someone works hard enough,they can achieve middle- or upper-class status.

Question 58

C.Wright Mills believed that power in the United States was concentrated in the hands of a small power elite rather than run through a fluid,competitive political system,as advocated by the ______ perspective.

Question 59

Identify the differences between blue-collar,white-collar,pink-collar,and gold-collar occupations.

Question 60

Discuss the three main characteristics of a socially stratified system.

Question 61

Explore the relationships between class position at birth,social mobility,and life chances.

Question 62

Explain why inequality has grown in recent decades.

Question 63

Discuss the relationships between occupation,income,and health.Include a discussion of the shift in types of occupation,in particular,the growth of the service sector.

Question 64

More than a century has passed since Marx formulated his theories of inequality.Some argue that his theories no longer apply to today's workplaces.Present an argument either agreeing or disagreeing with this statement.

Question 65

Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore are well known for their functionalist analysis of social stratification.However,there are many who challenge their ideas.Provide a summary of Davis and Moore's theory,as well as a critique of its weaknesses.

Question 66

Discuss the relationships between occupation,income,and status.Present an argument to explain inconsistencies between an occupation's income and its status.

Question 67

Discuss how social mobility in the United States has shifted over time.Do you think it is easier or more difficult today to move upward in social class compared to 50 years ago? Why?

Question 68

Discuss the evolution of stratification over time,from hunter-gatherer societies to agriculture-based societies to industrial societies to modern capitalist societies today.

Question 69

Propose a research study that examines the relationship between neighborhood and life chances.Include discussion of how you would frame your research question and what theory or theories you would apply,select an appropriate research methodology,weigh any ethical implications,and discuss any challenges or threats to data collection,reliability,or validity that may arise.Briefly reflect on the neighborhood you grew up in and how that may have influenced your own life chances.

Question 70

Compare and contrast the functionalist and conflict approaches to inequality.Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Question 71

Describe,in detail,the difference between a class society and a caste society,including a discussion of ascribed and achieved status and upward and downward mobility.Present an argument for whether you think the United States is a class society or a caste society.

Question 72

Explain the relationship between power and class.In other words,what role do political power and voice play in the reproduction of class differences?

Question 73

Reflect on your own social class.Discuss how your family's social class has been reproduced over time or how your family has experienced either upward or downward mobility.Be sure to focus on structural or systematic reasons rather than individual reasons.

Question 74

Define the term official poverty line.How is having an official poverty line useful for measuring inequality? How is the official poverty line problematic?

Question 75

Discuss the relationships between inequality,race,and gender,including a reflection on how the three intersect.Apply a conflict analysis.

Question 76

The United States is a meritocracy.Explain what is meant by this statement.Present an argument either agreeing or disagreeing with this statement.

Question 77

Herbert Gans posed the following question: "How is poverty positively functional in U.S.society?" Identify three of the "benefits" he outlined that the nonpoor receive from the existence of poverty.

Question 78

Common wisdom tells us,"Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps"-that is,work hard,earn an education,and you will attain wealth and success.Use your sociological imagination and the theories from this chapter to challenge or support common wisdom.

Question 79

Explain the difference between wealth and income,including what they are,how they are primarily used,and how wealth and income inequalities have changed over time.

Question 80

Define achieved status and ascribed status,and provide an example of each.